Shaman King: A sequel The Children's Life
by snow-angel-anna
Summary: This is the long awaited sequel to Three Years Later! Yes, you read right. Now click and read it! Completed with 5 chapters.
1. Chapter 1:Introduction Hana's POV

**Blessed be my sequel! It's born! Lol hmm…. Let's see. It's been quite a while since you've heard from me, yes? It's ok, I'm back. Presenting…. The sequel to Three Years Later: The Children's Lives.**

**For those who did not read Three Years Later or have forgotten about the WHOLE story..I'm not going to ask you to go over it again, but you may do so if you wish..(evil grin) If you do, please review! But...let's get back on track. If you have no wish to go through ten chapters worth of writing again at all, you don't need to panic, because ****Shaman King: A sequel The Children's Life****has a life of it's own, and you do not need to refer too much to Three Years Later. Besides, the first chapter is already and introduction... All I have to say is I'm sorry for taking soo long... Writer's block, you see. **

**Enjoy and don't forget to review, yes? (laugh)**

Chapter 1: Introduction (Asakura Hana's Point of view)

-Story takes place in year 2010, at the Funbari Onsen-

I'm Asakura Hana, the 7 years old son of Asakura Yoh and Kyouyama Anna. While I take after my father, my younger sister, Fuyu, 6, looks like our mother. The other children find the resemblances uncanny, but that's just the way it is.

By other children, I meant the sons and daughters of my father's twin brother, Asakura Hao, and their other friends who work in my mother's Onsen.

The oldest of us all is Umemiya Kyo, a silent, cool boy with spiky black hair and deep green eyes. He is the 9 years old son of uncle Ryu and aunty Jun, who is in charge of our meals every day. Kyo seldom talks, unlike his father, but silently observes his surroundings, only speaking up when necessary. He's a boy full of attitude on the outside, but he's so kind within that there is this little girl (whom I will introduce later) who tags along with him, and he in turn, looks out for her.

I am the second oldest of the children, with my mother's silky blonde tresses and father's tanned, good-looking face. Following up is Fuyu sis, who has father's dark brown hair and mother's sweet features.

I really adore my sister very much, because although she is a year younger than me, and three years younger than Kyo, Fuyu sis is always the one fighting off bullies or chasing away wild dogs that try to bite us when no adults are around. Fuyu sis has lots of admirers because she is very beautiful, with a petite figure and long, silky brown hair, but she really couldn't care less about all those boys!

The fourth oldest is also 6 years old, like Fuyu sis, and she is the only daughter of brother Lyzerg and Mathilda sis. Mayura Diethel looks a tad like her mother, with a shock of orange hair bundled into two bushes at the sides of her head and bright, playful eyes. Mayu, as we all call her, is the one other girl I admire besides Fuyu sis, because she is so adorable and has lots of guts for a girl! Brother Lyzerg and Mathilda sis has many interesting ideas and games, so they are always left in charge to take care of us children.

The fifth girl I will be introducing is the little girl who's really attached to Kyo. Her name is Tao Rin, and she is the only child of brother Ren and Pillica sis. Although she is only 4 years old, she's awesome at taking care of plants, and is always found admiring the little potted plants outside the garden. Sometimes, Rin will even bring Kyo out and they will take strolls together! Brother Ren is in charge of the accounts in the Onsen, while Pillica sis works as the cashier and receptionist. The funny thing about them is that, whenever the accounts do not tally, brother Ren will get all irritated, and Pillica sis will get so annoyed with his furious mutterings and fussing. But their arguments always get broken off by a worried look from Rin.

The third youngest child is my girl cousin, Asakura Areno, a 4 year old, shy little girl with shoulder length blonde hair. Like her mother, Marion sis, Areno collects dolls and puppets, and whenever he's free, uncle Hao will play with her.

The second youngest is Areno's little brother Soujiro, the 3 years old boy that Fuyu sis seem to be fond of! Because Soujiro is such an accident prone, and Areno hates messes of all sorts, Fuyu sis took it as her responsibility to take care of young Souji, as we all call him. Uncle Hao and Marion sis are the sub boss and lady boss, after mother and father, and they take care of scheduling the shifts for the workers.

Finally, the youngest of all 8 children is a 3 years old girl, Usui Asuna, the only daughter of Uncle Horo and Tamao sis. Asuna is a lot like her mother, with soft pink hair plaited up elegantly, and a gentle, sweet voice. That's right; she's the total opposite of her father, a boisterous man full of energy, and always arguing with brother Ren. From what I've heard Tamao sis grew up doing household chores, so mother and father naturally left the cleaning to her and uncle Horo.

Let me talk a little about the grown-ups now. Although many a times they say nothing much have changed since the Onsen opened and everyone settled down, I always get the feeling that they are hiding certain things from us children. But whenever father tries to talk about the past, mother will shoot him a deathly glare, and father will keep his silence.

To Fuyu sis and I, mother and father seem really different. They were never openly smitten with each other, unlike brother Lyzerg and Mathilda sis, and mother never permits father to act mushy. Not that father wants to, anyway. They never flirted, like uncle Hao and Marion sis, and when father so much as flirt a teeny weeny bit…. Well, he's a goner, because mother's slaps are as sharp as her tongue, maybe even sharper. Neither were they always arguing, like Pillica sis and brother Ren or uncle Ryu and aunty Jun, but father knows better than to argue with mother. But the weird thing is, shy as mother may be sometimes and playful as father is still, they were never like crazy uncle Horo and shy Tamao sis.

They are just…different. And they will never tell us what happened before they all got married. Over our dead bodies. All they mentioned was "Your father participated in the shaman fight, and won the title of the Shaman King."

That was it. And the only other thing we could find out from them was that because they have shamanic abilities, we children have them too. Yes, that's all they would tell us. But that's alright…I have a feeling that the time for them to tell us the entire truth is drawing nearer…

**That's all to chapter 1! Oh dear, are any of you disappointed? I'm sorry if you are. But I've been having writer's block. (.) So pardon me. I'm TRYINGtowrite chapter 2 now, so please be patient and bear with me for a little longer. Thank You!**


	2. Chapter 2: Final Gift

Chapter 2: Final Gift

Fuyu watched as her brother, Hana, leapt after a white form. It seemed as though he was successful in catching it at first, but as the brunette leant over for a better look, the tiny figure slipped out of her brother's hands, darted out of the bedroom window before disappearing behind a building.

"Crap," Hana cursed, swiping a lock of blonde fringe off his perspiring forehead and flopping onto the bed beside Fuyu, "If it weren't so fast I swear I could have caught it." Fuyu grinned at her brother's weird hobbies. "You know you will never catch it, and you're not supposed to, anyway. Those are Spirit Flames you're trying to catch, and mum said you're not to even _attempt_ to catch it."

Hana pouted at his sister's comment. "Right. Don't go telling mum about this. _She'll skin me alive_…"

Glancing out of the window, Hana caught sight of his big sister Mathilda and brother Lyzerg playing with the other children. "Hey look, sis, they've got Mathilda sis blindfolded." He laughed as Fuyu peered over his shoulder. "Isn't that mum and dad?" Fuyu gasped, pointing at two figures sitting on a bench beside the small pond. Hana squinted at where Fuyu was pointing.

Indeed, a young woman with long blonde hair was sitting beside a boyish looking man wearing orange headphones around his neck. Both seem to enjoy watching Mathilda and Lyzerg play with the younger children. "Yeah! It's mum and dad! Let's go down!" Hana exclaimed excitedly, and without saying more, the two youngsters clambered off the bed and ran down to the garden.

Yoh laughed as Mathilda stumbled clumsily around, blindfolded, trying to catch the children surrounding her. Lyzerg grinned and grabbed his daughter, Mayura, out of the way as Mathilda's hands brushed past. Tearing his gaze away from the game, Yoh glanced at Anna, who had a soft, gentle smile on her pretty face as her large brown eyes followed every movement Mathilda made. "Enjoying yourself?"

Abruptly, Yoh broke the silence between them, and Anna nodded slightly, turning to smile at Yoh. He smiled back. "That's good. You looked a little ill this morning." Anna started. "Really?" She asked, surprised. "Yeah. Like as if you had a bad dream or something while you were asleep." Yoh nodded, and Anna hesitated slightly, as if debating if she should tell Yoh what was really wrong. Then, when she saw Fuyu and Hana running over, she decided she won't. Not yet, anyway.

"Mum, dad!" Their children yelled, Fuyu jumping onto Anna and Hana onto Yoh. "What are the two of you doing here, daddy?" Hana asked, looking round at Yoh and Anna with large amber eyes. "Ah, the air is quite fresh, that's why. It's not everyday your uncle Hao decides to take over our duties for the day, you know." Yoh replied, laughing. "What were you two doing for the whole morning?" Anna asked, smoothing Fuyu's long brown hair. "Just talking in our room. We saw a Spirit Flame too." Fuyu answered.

"And Hana didn't try to catch it, did you, Hana?"

Anna's voice was soft, but dangerous, and Hana laughed sheepishly. "Ah…Of course I didn't! _Ahahahaha…_."

"Really?"

Anna inquired suspiciously,looking at Fuyu for reassurance,and Fuyu nodded, shooting her brother a You-Owe-Me-One look, which Yoh caught, making him guess right away that Hana _did_ try to catch the Spirit Flame again.

"Hey, Fuyu, Hana! Come join us!"

A shout from Mathilda, who had removed her blindfold, made the siblings perk up, and, waving at their parents, they ran madly to where everyone was playing.

"Spirit Flame, huh…" Anna murmured, standing up. "Where are you going?" Yoh asked. "I know whose Spirit that is…" She replied, and Yoh hurried after her, casting sharp glances at his wife as he did so. "Whose is it?" He asked cautiously. Anna stared at him, her expression unreadable.

"Kanna Bismarch."

"_KANNA'S DEAD?"_

Yoh gasped loudly as Anna shut the room door behind her. "Took you long enough to figure that one out." Anna said dryly. "How'd you know?" Yoh asked with interest. "Because I unconsciously drifted into a trance while I was asleep yesterday night. And I saw Kanna's spirit." Anna replied simply, and Yoh finally understood why Anna looked so pale and sickly when she woke up this morning. And suddenly, without warning, Anna called out, her tone sharp and crisp, "Come out, Kanna, quit hiding."

A misty cloud took shape of a slim, blue-haired woman floating beside the closet. The figure of Kanna Bismarch hovered in front of Yoh and Anna, smirking slightly. Her once long, silky blue hair is now short, a lot like Anna's previous hair length, slightly above her bony shoulders.

"You've got a very lively son, Anna, and a very pretty daughter." Kanna chuckled, and Yoh's jaw dropped as Anna scowled.

"What happened to you?" He yelped, amazed.

"Can't ya tell? I'm_ dead_, you dolt."

"No, I mean, how did you die? _And what did you do to your hair_?"

"She died because she smoked too much," Anna told Yoh shortly, and Kanna nodded. "To put it bluntly, yes. As for whyI cut my hair…"And two long locks of blue hair appeared in her hands mysteriously, "It isa final gift and memory to Marion and Mathilda." Kanna reached out and handed the hair to Anna. "Why don't you speak to them yourself?" Anna asked, taking the long locks of hair,"It's been a while since you've met. They'd love to see you again."

"I would if I am still alive," Kanna reminded her, "But seeing me like this will only make them cry, which is why I want you to help me give it to them." She smiled for the first time. "It dawned on me that I have nothing much to give them, so all I could do was cut my hair and give it to them as a memory. Also, Will you please tell Hao something?"

Anna rolled her eyes at the mention of Hao. "Ask Yoh. I don't want to talk to Hao too much. His idiocy is contagious." She said crankily, crossing her bony arms. "Go on. What do you want to tell Hao?" Yoh asked. "Tell him 'sorry' and 'thank you'." Kanna replied. "Is that all?" Yoh pressed gently. "Yes, that's all." For a moment, Kanna glanced around, her eyes unusuallybright,and then slowly, she began to fade away. "Thanks for helping me, you two… Ah, Iron Maiden Jeanne wants me to tell you that sheis on her way for a visit. You may expect her to turn up in about 5 days…She's in France now…"

"JEANNE?" Anna exploded, "What is this? An after tournament call! _Hey, wait, you_!_ Don't just go!"_

Anna's yells didn't stop Kanna, for the woman just smiled and faded slowly away, until no trace of her could be found. Yoh laughed.

"At least we know Jeanne is alive somewhere..."

That night after the Onsen closed for the day, and as soon as the children were worn out with playing and retired to bed together, Anna and Yoh assembled the adults in the living room. Then, wordlessly, Anna placed a lock of hair on Marion and Mathilda's lap each.

For a moment, the girls looked bewildered, until Hao asked, "Where's mine?" and Yoh replied, "Kanna wants me to tell you 'sorry' and 'thank you'."

"Kanna," Mathilda gasped suddenly, and everyone sat up, suddenly alert.

"She was here?"

Anna took a deep breath, and answered,

"She has passed away. That is the final gift she wants to leaveMarion and Mathildawith, without facing you personally, because she was afraid, to see you cry."

And with that, Anna looked away, refusing to look at any of them just then, afraid that her own tears may fall if she saw the pain of losing a friend reflected upon everyone's eyes.

**Note: Chapter 2: Completed! I'm really sorry for the long wait, but I can say that this is one chapter you won't be forgetting too soon! Stay tuned for Chapter 3! It will be up pretty soon! Please Review! **


	3. Chapter 3: Happiness

Chapter 3: Happiness

A windchime rang softly somewhere as a gentle breeze drifted into the Funbari Onsen. It was early, yet, a young maiden of 20 stood outside the closed gate, her ruby red eyes fixed upon a window on the second floor, which was slightly opened.

Her crisp and pretty white western dress swayed ever so slightly, and her long, silvery blue tresses came to a rest on her petite shoulders as soon as the breeze passed. Her glossy lips upturned intoa knowing smile as a blonde head appeared at the opened window before disappearing again.

After waiting a while longer, the gate to the Onsen creaked open, and Anna, recognising Jeanne through her bedroom window, nodded curtly, beckoning her in.

"I'm sorry about arriving so early," Jeanne said, beaming at Anna as the two of them made their way into the living room, "Am I causing any inconvenience?"

Anna shook her head and sat down; Jeanne did the same. "I sent Kanna to tell you about my visit." She said again, seeing that Anna, who was looking slightly worned out, had no wish to speak.

"Yes, Yoh and I saw her spirit 5 days ago," Anna answered quietly, "And her death has sent everyone into a slight shock, with the exception of Marion and Mathilda, who are _very _shocked and upset."

Jeanne's cheerful expression changed into a look of concern. "How are they, then?" She inquired, but Yoh appeared just then, coming down the spiral staircase with Lyzerg.

"_Jeanne!"_

Lyzerg uttered in surprise, and turned to look at Yoh. "So that's why you and Anna woke me up so early!"

Yoh nodded and smiled; Even then, Jeanne saw the strain in his smile, and gathered from everyone's tired expressions that Kanna's death has indeed affected them all greatly.

They chatted till Ryu and Jun came down to prepare breakfast, after which Ryu went on a rampage around the house, chanting "Jeanne's back, Jeanne's back!" and waking everyone up.

Surprised and pleased to see Jeanne again, everyone surveyed their old friend with a friendly eye.

In place of the young and naive girl they knew from the Shaman Fight, now, standing before them is a girl who have matured greatly, emitting a kind, motherly aura, and the gentleness Jeanne possessed was still etched deep in her quiet personality,

When Mathilda stepped up to greet Jeanne, her blank lifeless eyes filed with hot, glistening tears. Marion too, placed a hand lightly on her mouth, holding back a choke that threatened to escape her.

Without saying anything at first, Jeanne embraced both young mothers before whispering the verses in the bible that Lyzerg knew so well:

_"The Lord is my sheperd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake._

_"Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and staff, they comfort me._

_"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."_

Jeanne let the girls go. "That was Kanna's request," She told them, "Before she died, I was with her, and she asked me to recite this if I should come for a visit."

"Psalm 23, A Psalm of David." Lyzerg broke in, his deep green eyes bright with tears. "That's right, Lyzerg," Jeanne said, surprised and pleased, "You still remember."

For a moment, no one spoke; The children kept their silence and backed uneasily into their own rooms, understanding that they should not interrupt this moment. Then, Pillica spoke, her voice sensible, "The reason why Kanna didn't want to meet us was because she was afraid we would suffer. So all the more we should stay strong, and let Kanna rest in peace. At the very least, that's all we could do for her."

"And when you need someone to talk to, Mathilda, remember that there is always Mayura and I to share your burden." Lyzerg told Mathilda softly, taking her hand and holding it tight. Hao followed suit, and held Marion protectively.

"Erm," Tamao spoke up shyly, "Kanna's hair... Use thatas a link and proof of your friendship with Kanna, and she... She will live in your hearts forever."

The children cast worried looks at each other. "Is mama and papa ok, big sis Areno?"

Soujiro asked in asmall, trembly voice, and Areno, who was holding her tears back, said, with mock confidence, "Of course! That's for sure, because big sister Jeanne will help them."

Kyo, who was comforting Rin by letting her cry on his shoulder, spoke up.

"I don't really understand what's going on, but I do know that we have to, and can do something to cheer those adults up."

"Rin doesn't like to see mummy and daddy unhappy," Rin sobbed in Kyo's shoulder, "So if Rin can make them smile, Rin will do anything!"

"I don't like to see mum so stressed and Mathilda sis looking like she's going to collapse anytime soon either," Fuyu said with a frown, for her crazy playmate aka Mathilda had sunken into a state of depression for the past 5 days, and nothing anyone did could make her play like her old self again, 'But what can we do?"

"We can be obedient little angels so we won't burden them more than they already are." Mayura piped up, looking gloomy, for her spirits were dampened with the thought of her hyperactive mother suddenly losing all her energy. Hana smiled encouragingly and patted her head.

"Heads up, everyone, cheer up! Mayu is right! If we obey our parents, they will be happy too!" he said, hoping that he sounded convincing.

"My mother once said that happiness and laughter is contagious," Asuna said thoughtfully, "So if we kids continue to be happy and do things that will please our parents, they will most likely feel better too!" she concluded excitedly, jumping up and down the bed, her pink plaits bouncing merrily on her shoulders.

"Well then, I know what we can do!" Kyo said triumphantly, "I can ask my mum and pops to get out of the kitchen. We children will cook dinner tonight, and prepare a cheer up dinner party for them!" "We can't do that!" Fuyu exlaimed, horrified, "Rin and Souji are too young, what if they get hurt?" "They won't," Kyo said confidently, "I know the kitchen well enough because I help out in there often, and there is a little wooden table at a corner in whereit's safe for Rin and Souji to help us peel sprouts! Of course, we need someone to watch them so they don't wander around..."

"I'll do that," Fuyu said immediately, "Souji is my youngest and most precious cousin, I can't leave him with anyone else."

"That's biased, I'm your cousin too!" Areno said, hurt by Fuyu's words. "Ok, break it up," Kyo said impatiently, "Areno and Fuyu will look after Rin and Souji, Asuna, you can do the washing since you always help your parents, and you're fast at that- Mayura and Hana will do a little bit of chopping and cooking, while I will be in charge of the stove area. Is that better?" He asked. "You're a genius, Kyo, total smarty!" Hana beamed, "Let's go convince your mum and dad to leave the kitchen to us!"

So that night, after Jun and Ryu had reluctantly agreed to leave the children to do the dinner and promised to keep that a secret from the other adults, the children went according as planned, with Kyo hoping fervently that nothing will go wrong with his precious dinner plan.

Thankfully enough, dinner was served without any casualties, and the adults were pleasantly surprised and touched by their childrens' friendly gesture. Only towards the end of the dinner did they actually find out why the children did this.

"So my darling daughter have been helping out in the kitchen?" Pillica teased as she fed Rin a tiny piece of steak that Kyo had prepared. "Ready to become Kyo's right hand man, I see!" Ren added with a smirk, and Kyo choked. "But why the sudden decision to cook for us? Is it because of Jeanne's arrival?" Tamao wondered. "Tell us, princess, why did you children have this crazy idea?" HoroHoro pleaded Asuna with the silliest look anyonehad seen, and his little 'princess' giggled before saying, very earnestly, "Well, it's because all of you looked very tired and sad about something these few days, and we wanted to help cheer you all up." She began, and Fuyu broke in. "And Kyo came up with this crazy idea, so we asked aunty Jun and uncle Ryu to loan us the kitchen..."

"To prepare this dinner for you!" Hana finished for Fuyu. The children glanced at each other before staring up at their parents, who were all blinking stupidly, trying to absorb this information. "Aah, so we were looking upset, huh?" Yoh said, laughing sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Mayu, I won't lose my energyagain." Mathilda promised, hugging her daughter. "There's one thing Kyo would like to say," Areno said quietly, and everyone turned to stare at Kyo, who cleared his throat.

"That is.. My teacher taught me that life was never intended to be an individual adventure, and that we all need ateam to get through all our worries and trouble," He started, "So I was just thinking, instead of just sticking for our own family members, why don't we all become a 'team', and overcome all our problems together?"

There was a short pause, then Jeanne said kindly, "That is a very wise thing to say, Kyo."

"Alright," Hao said, "I seond Kyo's idea. He's right." "Me too. That makes sense." Ryu added, ruffling Kyo's black spiky hair.

And even after Jeanne left for France again a week later, everyone never forgot what happiness her arrival had brought to the residents of the Funbari Onsen.

**Note: I'm back with a very quick update this time! I'm making this a 5- parter, so this is the third chapter. The fourth and fifth chapters will be concluding chapters for this sequel. Enjoy chapter 3 and please review! thx! **


	4. Chapter 4:Lesson Learnt

**This chapter is rather random to me…ahahaha….. I hope it doesn't bore you… I'm sorry I took so long to update….Had writer's block… It isn't very good, but I've done my best… This chapter is based a lot on Fuyu and Anna, a weird sort of mother/daughter relationship... Please review! Thank you!**

Chapter 4: Lesson Learnt

Asuna Usui backed nervously away from the crowd, unsure if she should continue to make her way into the school hall, where the whole school, consisting of the kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school would be having a Founder's Day banquet together.

Someone pushed her roughly from behind just as she decided, with a shake of her head, that she would just go home, causing her to stumble and fall with a sharp cry.

"Loser," The boy who pushed her sneered from behind, and Asuna felt hot tears welling in her eyes, "You can't even stand properly!"

As Asuna struggled to stand up while the other students sniggered, a familiar, warm hand pulled her up by her arm, and looking up, she saw her cousin, Tao Rin, standing beside her with Fuyu, Hana, Areno, Kyo, Soujiro and Mayura.

"_Hey,_" Fuyu began with a frown, staring coldly at the boy who had pushed Asuna, "How'd you like being pushed onto the ground and then called a Loser, you _punk?" _

"Fu-Fuyu… Forget it…" Asuna whispered, terrified to see her so angry, but Rin only pulled Asuna gently back, silently advising her not to interfere.

Not giving the boy a chance to interrupt her, Fuyu continued, "How'd you like it if I told a teacher that you've been bullying Asuna _every single day since you've met her_, just because she shows _no resistance _whatsoever, hmm?"

"Fuyu sis… let's go in and ignore this idiot," Hana suggested; the dangerous glint in his sister's eyes showed him that she might just snap and do something mean, and he didn't want that to happen. "We can tell the teacher after the banquet, there's no point in ruining this event now…"

When Fuyu showed no sign of relenting, and Hana tugged hopelessly at his stubborn sister's bag, looking sheepish, Areno stepped forward, and wordlessly grabbed Fuyu by the arm gently, leading the surprised girl into the hall.

"Ah… Areno, why…" Fuyu began, confused, as Kyo and the others hurried after them. "I… don't like brawls in front of kids like Rin, Soujiro and Asuna…It will scare them…" Areno replied flatly, and without saying more, they dived into the crowd of students, and disappeared from sight.

_After School. On the way home_

"Is aunty Jun and uncle Ryu cooking lunch today?"

Hana asked Kyo, and he nodded. "We should head straight home." Kyo told them.

"Well, _I _want to the teacher and tell her about Asuna being bullied!" Fuyu declared, still sore over the fact that she hadn't given the boy a good thrashing. Asuna opened her mouth, looking panicky, and Soujiro said quietly, "Asuna doesn't want you to, Fuyu sis, so just leave it be, alright?"

"Well then, you all should have allowed me to give him a punch just now," Fuyu grumbled, swinging her bag pack violently over a shoulder and stalking angrily towards the Funbari Onsen, "I'm itching to kill that idiot."

"Well, if I were you, Fuyu," Matilda said, "I wouldn't wanna waste my time on people like him, y'know?" She did a lively skip and walked beside Fuyu, who growled in return, but said nothing when she saw her parents standing outside the Onsen, waiting to greet them.

"Mum, dad." Fuyu said stiffly, not looking at her parents as she approached. "Hello, Fuyu," Yoh said with a pleasant smile," How was school today?" he added, glancing at all the other children. Hana beamed. "It was great! There was so much food during the banquet…" He trailed off, looking dreamy, and everyone laughed. Even, Anna, who hardly showed much emotion, gave one of her rare smiles, but turned sober when she saw Fuyu's angry look.

"Did something happen?" She asked quickly, glancing at Fuyu before looking at the other children, who were looking slightly guilty.

"Well…"Hana mumbled hesitantly, "Just a little bit of problem before the banquet, but..."

"It's fine, aunty," Areno interrupted quietly after glancing at Asuna and Fuyu, "It's all been settled, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Really…" Anna wasn't convinced.

"Really." Areno assured her, but Anna saw more than 'a little problem' in Fuyu's brown eyes, which were narrowed, and said, very softly, "Fuyu, come with me. Yoh, lead the others into the dining hall for lunch, please."

And as Fuyu stalked off silently with her mother into the backyard, Yoh led the children into the house, saying, "I don't know what has happened just now, but if it's something important, you'd better tell an adult, okay?"

The children didn't answer.

"Fuyu."

"…"

"What happened in school?"

No reply.

Anna glared at her stubborn daughter, who squatted glumly beside the pond, her skinny hand dangling in the water. She decided not to raise her voice.

"Fuyu," Anna began again, taking a deep breath to keep her voice down, "Will you please tell me what happened?"

"Asuna's been bullied," Fuyu snapped, glaring up at her mother, "and just because she doesn't want anyone to know about it, Hana and the others just pretend that nothing has happened. Why can't they see that the bullying will only get worse if the teachers aren't aware?"

Anna stared thoughtfully into the water before answering, "Well, Fuyu, you're right, it will get worse if the teachers aren't alerted, but if telling the teachers make Asuna unhappy, then it is better _not _to let them know."

"Not you too, mum!" Fuyu cried, exasperated, but Anna's stern glance silenced her.

"You see, what you can do is get Soujiro and Rin to stick with Asuna whenever they are having lessons at the elementary school. The bullies won't dare to hurt Asuna if she has friends by her side. They pick on her because she's always alone, but with Soujiro's firm and unyielding personality and Rin's calmness, there is nothing the bullies can do."

"But what if Soujiro and Rin get picked on too?" Fuyu argued; sometimes, she really doesn't know what her mother is thinking.

"Then you can alert the teacher, "Anna answered, "Because if they get picked on too, then it would no longer be Asuna's problem alone, do you understand?"

"No! No I don't, and I don't think I ever will understand mum's logic!" Fuyu burst out exasperatedly, "Shouldn't we _tell the teachers_ so that they know what is going on!"

"By right, we should, Fuyu," Anna explained, losing her patience, "But if Asuna doesn't want to let the teachers know, and you go ahead and tell them anyway, it will make her unhappy, and she might do things like skipping classes, which is even worse! At least, if Rin and Soujiro stick by her and defend her, Asuna will have a better time going through all the taunting, _because she is not alone!_"

She stopped to catch her breath, and Fuyu's expression softened considerably as she said, rather grudgingly, "Fine, I'll listen to you, but I really don't think it's going to work."

"Think as you like, Fuyu," Anna told her, "The result will prove to be a valuable lesson for a headstrong person like you."

When Fuyu joined the other children for the study session after their lunch, she told them about Anna's advice, and they all decided to follow it, and see how it turns out.

_A month later_

"Mum."

"Huh?"

Anna turned away from her accounts and saw Fuyu standing behind her, looking sheepish.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" Anna asked curiously. Fuyu almost fell when she heard Anna ask that.

"I mean…" She began, not believing that her mother had forgotten all about their argument a month ago, "Last time, about my arguments on Asuna being bullied…I was wrong to argue about it…and I was wrong to doubt your words, so I'm sorry."

It took a while for Anna to realize what Fuyu was talking about, and when she did, she just smiled.

"So Asuna's doing okay, right?" She asked, and Fuyu nodded silently. "That's good,' Anna commented, "And I'm glad that you seem to be doing well in school too."

"It's because Kyo and Hana always help me when I meet problems with my work," Fuyu replied stoutly, unused to having a conversation after she's apologized, "Well, I'll get going, then…"

"Ok. Please continue to work hard and look after the young ones when we adults are too busy to."

Fuyu blushed when she heard her mother's words- Even after being so rude and stubborn and silly, Anna still trusted her so much, and even asked her to shoulder the responsibility of looking after the children…

"I'll do my best, mum.' She said quietly, and, hearing a hint of guilt in Fuyu's voice, Anna turned back to her work with a satisfied smile, glad that her daughter had matured.


	5. Final Chapter: Memories

**Last chapter! Fast, yes, and this fic isn't really good, I know, but that's all there is to this sequel**

**I have to admit, while doing this I was in much haste; I had a new idea for another 'after Shaman Fight' fic, and wanted to start as soon as possible. **

**For those who have been with me since Three Years Later, thank you very much for your support! And for those who only started with this sequel, thank you very much as well! I hope you will enjoy this last chapter! Do continue to support my fics, yeah? I'll keep improving (and try to take lesser time to update)! Review please! Thank you very much!**

Final Chapter: Memories

**15 Years later, Year 2025**

Asakura Hana stood in front of his parents' graves, smiling sadly as his sister Fuyu, sobbed silently beside him.

"We're here to visit, mum, dad." He said quietly, his voice sounding like his father's, pleasant and soothing. Hana turned to Fuyu. "Stop crying, sis. Mum's not going to be happy. Who knows, she might slap you for being a crybaby at your age."

"Aw, shaddup, Hana," Fuyu snapped, brushing her tears away indignantly, "Being 21 doesn't mean I can't cry, ok?"

She turned to stare at her brother, who was a splitting image of their father. Looking at him made Fuyu's heart ache terribly, and Hana knew it. He laughed a little. "Stop looking at me like that, or you're gonna blame me for making you cry, yeah?"

"It's your fault for looking like dad, ok!" Fuyu exclaimed, turning to look at Asakura Yoh's picture on the gravestone. "What about you?" Hana retorted, caressing Anna's picture gently, "You look like mum too, but I don't cry when I look at you."

There was a short silence, and Fuyu replied, "I don't look like mum. Not one bit. Mum's too… beautiful…" She too, reached out and touched Anna's picture softly.

It's a lie, and Fuyu knew it. She really did look like Anna, just like Hana looked like Yoh, but there was something different…Fuyu can never be like their mother, no matter how hard she tried, whereas Hana always laughed and spoke like their father, without any effort at all.

"You're beautiful too," Hana told her gently, leaning over to brush the dust off Yoh's picture, "I'm sure dad would say the same… After all, when he was alive, he always goes on about how pretty you are and how much you look like mum…"

'And mum would always say how powerful you will be when you grew up," Fuyu interrupted with a soft laugh, "Mum and dad were…really _weird, _weren't they?"

Hana chuckled when he heard Fuyu's words. "Their spirits are listening, Fuyu," He warned her with a good-natured grin, "Mum's gonna get angry."

"Aw, shucks," Fuyu retorted with a pout, "Mum won't _hurt_ me…" She cocked her head to one side thoughtfully, and then felt someone push her forward gently. "Hey!" She cried indignantly, losing her balance and falling forwards, "Who the heck was that who pushed my head!"

"Huh? Pushed your head?" Hana repeated in surprise, "But….There's no one behind you…" He pointed behind, and Fuyu turned. True enough, no one was in sight. "It can't be me," Hana said hastily when Fuyu glared at him, "I'm sitting in front of you, ok?"

There was a short silence, and then Hana gasped.

"It _must _have been mum and dad!"

"Don't be stupid, Hana,' Fuyu began, "Why would mum or dad do that to me?"

"Because you said they were weird, Fu." Hana reminded her, and she bit her lip. "And," Hana continued, "You went ahead and got engaged to _Soujiro _even though mum said he was too young for you!"

Asakura Soujiro sneezed violently, and getting up from his study table, he leant forwards to draw the curtains, blocking out the wind.

"Finally willing to draw the curtains, huh?" His sister, Areno, asked dully from beside him, and he grinned clumsily. "Well, yeah, won't be good to catch a cold, would it? Besides, if I didn't, when Fuyu returns from her grave visiting, she would've shut the window for me."

Areno frowned. "You really shouldn't be too dependable on cousin Fuyu, Souji, although she's older, and will be your wife soon…"

"Don't worry, I may not look it, but I'm dependable too, oops…." As he spoke, Soujiro toppled tea over his essay, and Areno almost fell off her chair.

"Oh yeah? Which part!" She exclaimed in exasperation, and Soujiro laughed stupidly. "Really," she said stiffly, throwing him the table cloth (don't ask me why there's a table cloth in their room, there just happen to be one), "I don't know what you'll do without someone as capable as cousin Fuyu…You're lucky mum and dad approved of your relationship…" She looked out of the bedroom and saw their parents, relaxing in their room opposite.

"Yes, yes," Soujiro said, brushing a strand of sandy brown hair off his handsome face, "On the contrary, Are-re, shouldn't you be thinking about finding a mate too?"

Areno blushed, and turned away, fiddling with her shoulder length hair in embarrassment, "I'm only 19, for goodness sake! I'm not like you, ok!" She took a deep breath to calm herself down, and Soujiro continued to grin as he said. "Ok, I get it. Besides, I'm sure what you really want is to see mum and dad happy and for them to know that they can depend on you if they ever needed anything, am I right?"

Areno smiled softly, and, glancing out at her parents again, she nodded gently, and Soujiro smiled knowingly at her.

"Mum, dad, you can rest. Just leave the kitchen to Rin and me."

Umemiya Kyo told Jun and Ryu the moment he entered the kitchen with Tao Rin, and saw his father's silly hair bobbing up and down behind the stove.

"Ya sure ya can handle it, rascal?" Ryu asked gruffly, slapping Kyo on the back, causing Kyo to glare. "Yes I can, and excuse me; I'm no longer a rascal, old man!" He retorted, and as Ryu tried to pummel Kyo down, Rin and Jun hurried forwards to tear the two men away from each other.

"Gee, how old are you already, and you're still behaving like a silly kid!" Jun said reprovingly, whacking Ryu on the head. Rin grinned at Kyo. "We're here to help, not fight, ok?" she told him gently, and he blushed.

"Aw, mum, pops, just leave the kitchen to us, how many times must I say that!" Kyo asked, ruffling his black hair with annoyance, and Jun smiled. "Ok, ok, we'll trust you and Rin with the kitchen…Let's go, Ryu…"

Once they left the kitchen, Kyo sighed and began to rummage the fridge for meat. Rin stood behind him, smiling slightly.

"Why won't you outwardly tell them how much you care, Kyo?" she asked; It all seemed very easy to straightforward Rin, so why couldn't Kyo do it?

"It's just…" Kyo straightened, and Rin saw a soft blush rising on his face, "It's so awkward… This is the only way I can tell them I care for them…"

And Rin understood; it doesn't matter if they always fought when they meet, because that was a sign that they cared and acknowledged each other as father and son… Rin smiled.

"You're a very sweet person. Kyo."

"What, got chased out of the kitchen?"

Tao Ren asked smugly, glancing at Ryu and Jun before turning his attention back to the television. "Yes, that rascal's really…" Ryu couldn't finish his sentence; his back ached.

Pillica grinned. "Rin and Kyo are very close, don't you think?" she asked cheerfully.

There was a short silence as the four of them spaced out, lost in their own thoughts, the silence only broken by the television program.

"It's been two years since Yoh and Anna left, isn't it?"

A tired voice asked, and they turned; Matilda and Lyzerg both strode in together, followed by HoroHoro and Tamao.

"Two years, huh…" Ren muttered, looking slightly bemused, "And to think I thought it's only been a year or so…"

"But," Tamao piped up softly, "Don't you think Hana and Fuyu take after them very much? Anna's headstrong, sullen manner and Yoh's carefree and happy personality… their qualities are etched in Hana and Fuyu…"

"Don't let those two hear you," Lyzerg advised when he saw Hana and Fuyu walking back together from their grave visiting through a window, "They're still very heart-broken, though, because of their personalities, they refuse to show it. They must be in a lot of pain, Yoh and Anna were very good parents to them…"

"Ah, what are you all doing here?"

Fuyu asked, surprised, when she saw the adults sitting around in the living room.

"Just talking about the past, that's all," Jun told her with a smile, "Dinner will be ready soon; Rin and Kyo are preparing it right now."

"Got it, thanks." Fuyu said gratefully. "We'll return to our rooms, then," Hana added cheerfully, and the siblings clambered up noisily, just like when they were young children.

Not long after they left, Mayura Diethel and Asuna Usui appeared, both dripping wet, from the backyard.

"Goodness, Mayu, what have the both of you been doing!" Matilda asked, alarmed. Mayura and Asuna giggled and pointed at the water hose that Rin used to water the plants, "Taking a bath in the garden, what else?" Mayura replied, and Asuna giggled again.

"Mayura, you're already 21… shouldn't you be a little more matured?" Lyzerg asked, sounding reproving although he was grinning. Mayura laughed.

"Right you are, daddy, I'll keep that in mind," she said good-naturedly before turning to Asuna and saying, "Let's go change and disturb Kyo! Maybe we can get to pick on some food too!"

Asuna nodded, and said to HoroHoro and Tamao before running after her, "I'll be going first, then!"

"Be careful!" HoroHoro called, and Asuna waved without turning for a second look.

It didn't feel complete even though everyone was present for dinner at the same time that night; Anna and Yoh's seats were empty, but as the family feasted on the wonderful meal made by two pairs of loving hands, the spirits of those who were gone watched over them from the heavens above, smiling and wishing them nothing but the greatest happiness they can ever find in the world.


End file.
